Odd how some things stick in one's memory—certain places, personalities, sounds, even smells. Touching on one of these elements can cause a lifetime of experiences to come flooding back. And just as quickly, they're gone.

Rarity's gotten herself in a rut, and to get out of it, she needs to design something so unique, so unmistakable that nopony could ever miss it. Her friends deserve that much. But nothing's free, of course.

A holiday tale in which Cheerilee learns the true meaning of the word "wassail"; Granny Smith fails to learn the true meaning of the word "polymath"; and somehow, amidst it all, three flowers finally begin to put down roots.

When the sun stays in the sky for three days straight, everybody turns to the princesses for guidance. Unfortunately, Luna is nowhere to be found, and Celestia seems to have something else on her mind.

Mayor Mare's speech, in honor of Ponyville's 100th Anniversary, is perfect--sure to win her the empty seat on the Canterlot Council, and get her out of this hick town. There's just one problem: Granny Smith is giving her introduction.

While on a work trip to help family in Appleloosa, Big Macintosh strikes up some correspondences with friends back home. These are the letters that crossed Twilight Sparkle's desk. Sometimes words don't mean what they say.

The Princesses' birthday celebration is here again, and Mayor Mare needs a scapegoat—er, trusted citizen—to handle Ponyville's gift. Certainly, deciding what to get for an ancient ruler who's seen everything will be a piece of cake. Hm, cake. Maybe that's not such a bad idea.

... Tears. Any loving, considerate leader who sacrifices and slaves selflessly, they wouldn't ask for it, but this is just the thing they want. Sometimes they even need it and no one thinks or bothers to give it to them. Don't need accolades or expensive gifts... just a hug and to hear that everything they do is appreciated.

No. Maybe. I don’t know,” Pinkie answered, her head losing a little more against the battle with gravity. “Angel food cake just can’t take the tensile stress I need, pound cake”—a coo sounded from further inside as the Cakes’ son heard his name—“doesn’t have a good enough strength-to-weight ratio, fudge has too much thermal creep to hold up for long, and biscotti’s fracture toughness wouldn’t survive the trip to Canterlot!” She pounded a hoof on the cart, and a few more tiers of graham bracing tumbled to the ground.

Lovely story! I'm glad that Present Perfect recommended it! It felt a TINY bit wordy for being an uplifting Pinkie Pie slice of life story, but not at all enough to deter from reading.

I'm not generally the kind of person to link to my own stories in the comments of others, not usually, but this is kind of a funny coincidence. As soon as I read the exposition at the opening the story, I knew what Pinkie was going to give them... because I wrote an episode-style comedy of a somewhat similar concept a couple years back. They're very different stories in the end, because mine is lighthearted fun and yours builds up emotional momentum with a joyous payoff! It was just fun to see two people take a similar ending concept and get there through two different series of events, writing styles, and intended emotional impact. Heck, we even both had our stories focus on Pinkie and Twilight as the two main characters!

40715304072000 And then her love of cake was reinforced by the ending of MMMystery, at the dessert competition.

In the First Year of Princess Luna Returned, the newly reinstated Sovereign of the Night celebrated her birthday on the night of the winter solstice.

Princess Celestia decreed in the Second Year of Princess Luna Returned that they should observe their birthdays when day and night stood equal.

Luna's return________________

We welcome all to our birthday celebration and hope you will enjoy the fine entertainment and food we have ordered prepared.

This bit is redundant. One or the other would suffice / grammatically accurate (since ordered = request (something) to be served, made, or supplied; and prepared = make (something) ready for use or consideration. So using both is litterally saying the same thing twice.) ____________

“A… form like a Taijitu,”

Tai Chi

[Short for Tai Chi Chuan [the martial arts Water Bending is based off of. Taijitsu is "body art" from Naruto.]___________

Edit:

Re-read. Loved reading this the second time around, as much as I did the first. It's adorable as it is true.

Don't forget, Luna just isn't the moon. She raises every star in the sky. Even those stubborn, fussy Red Giants. Tia on the other hoof just raises a yellow dwarf. Luna's nuclear reactors in the sky are more numerous than her sisters. Tia's is just closer to the planet so it get's more recognition.

Princess Luna Returned in and of itself is valid. "Year X of Princess Luna Returned" is not proper. Since it's stated like a holiday / event. You are stating that it was X year after the the return of Y. Thus it'd be possessive (Luna's), and return (not returned. Since yes she has returned from the moon, but the proper verb would be return (Since it is after she returned). At least in the structure given.)

And we aren't reading Latin, or even speaking it. This is something for englishreaders, as it's written, it's not written as a title. Rather a national event of so many years after Princess Luna returned from the moon. But it would be labeled, as "X Years of So-and-So's return." ___________

Not the same thing. Since both words literally mean the same thing. With slightly different phrasing on ther own. Both are litterally saying "We have made something to be made / served". So you have "We have made (something) to make (something) that was to create / make / serve you (something) that is maked / created / served for you."

It's not just in Latin that this is done, but it serves as a good example, since it's the only way Latin does it. In any case, yes, this is a valid structure, your arguments about "this is an English-speakers' club only" notwithstanding. Take the English phrase "a woman scorned." It's the same construction. I don't get why it's such a sticking point, and it's not wrong. But at this point, if you remain unconvinced, I can't imagine there's any more headway to be made.

ordered prepared

If it were redundant, then I could remove either word without changing the meaning. But if I remove "ordered," for example, it says the princesses prepared the food themselves, which isn't the case.

Because of what's in front of Luna returned. The whole "Year X of" changes the connotation. It flows wrong and reads oddly. Yes it has been so many years after she had "returned", but it's more accurate and reads better of "Year X of Princess Luna's return" since while she had "returned" from the moon, it's been awhile after her "return" from her banishment.

That’s the only thing that bugs me, without the Year of, it wouldn't read half as badly.

As for the English club bit. It's in the sitest rules. Write fics in English. Seriously, how many native English speakers (especially considering canon, as in show canon, where titles use the word "the" in them. Clover the Clever, Starswirl the Bearded, and The Great and Powerful Trixie, to name the most prominent.)_____________

Not exactly.

We welcome all to our birthday celebration and hope you will enjoy the fine entertainment and food we have ordered prepared.

If they say ordered. It's accurate since they did order their staff to create X. But since they are in charge of things, technically, by way of mouth, have had others (by extension of decree / what ever oversight they have in the palaces budget) prepare X. It's technically the same thing since it was all created to their specifications for the event.

So yes in some light it can be considered they set it up. It's no more so than any other celebration they get set in motion. ____________

Still adorable fic, and I dId enjoy reading it as much as I did re-reading it. And technically 20 + weeks from now when waiting for my updated fic list to update will probably read again.

"Year of our Lord", ends in a noun. Not "Year Three of our Lord Returned ."

Yes:

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned", Not "Year of Woman Scorned". _________

By having year of, it gives the connotation, of her return having just happened, repeatedly. each year. Just as "Year X of Woman Scorned" has the statement that it's a continual event. And your other examples don't fit this context. At all. Yes those are actual sayings. I never said that "Princess Luna returned" in and of itself was wrong. Since Years ago she returned from the moon.

Yet its been years been years since her return. Wich is the grammaticaly accurate use. If you are goong to state that it's been a year or even years of the moment in which she returned. It's not accurate to state that it's year of X returned. It's not the correct ending.

Yes we have "In the year of our Lord", we do not have "Year 2015 Of our Lord Died", we have " Year 2015 after our Lord's Death." [AD = After Death [translated]]. It's all about how you use the word that gives it context. Returned, has an immediate usage "(We, I)have returned" is an immediate usage of return. "It's been so many years since your return," gives an effect that it happened in the past. Or in other context, "She will return someday" a past one.

But by stating a past or future use (you either will come back, or have already come back at an earlier point in time) . Return fits. Returned, is a present use of return (since you have left, and have just arrived. You have returned from where you came from).

It's literally that simple. It's all about context of the use of the word. And how the words are placed together. Year One of Luna retured, is just as wrong contextually as "Year 2015 of our Lord Died". Both "our Lord Died", and "our Lord's Death" both are accurrate in various context. But The "Year of our Lord Died" contextually means that he died repeatedly once a year 2015 times.Year X of Luna Returned, contextually is she left each year and returned.

But "Year X of Luna's return", like "After Death", signifies that it's commemorating X years after her return / the years after "she had returned from the moon."

Do you see hpw that bucking changes the connotation of the word at all? And people miss things all the time. I've know fics that have had thousands of people read it, and miss a small error here and there. It happens.

5694994 It is a continuous thing. It's not Xth year since Luna's return. It's the Xth year of Luna's returned status. If I phrased it as "The First Year of the Returned Luna," would you still have a problem with it? Because it's identical, just with the participle moved ahead of the noun. This isn't that difficult. I know my grammar. Ask around if you like. I can recommend some great grammarians who, to my knowledge, have never read the story, so wouldn't already have an opinion. Amacita, Burraku_Pansa, InquisitorM, horizon, Chris, GaryOak. Take your pick.

And that’s the bucking context. You never, ever state what the "returned" was in reference to, leaving up to the readers assumptions. Bucking hell, this all could be cleared up if you had what exactly you were referring to in the A/N. Since technically, after she returned from the moon, and was re-in stated as a Diarch. Her return from the moon would have been that, her "return".

Celebrating her "returned" status on the other hoof is contextually different. And nowhere in the fic is such a status mentioned. At all, for all we know (since its never mentioned in the show) no such status exists, and after some adjustment, she was considered a normal diarch without any special status attached to her.

Frell, a throw away line stating what such a celebration / occasion was celebrating / observing would clarify what Luna Returned meant would both give context, and clarity to an Event, that to my knowledge only exists in your fic.

Princess Celestia: Citizens of Equestria, it is no longer with a heavy heart but with great joy that I raise the summer sun. For this celebration now represents not the defeat of Nightmare Moon, but the return of my sister, Princess Luna.

So yeah, additional reason for your word choice to be considered wierd before you clarifid it just now, since Celestia stated that she was celebrating Luna's return. Rather than any mention of a "returned" status.

5695152 I think the meaning is clear in context, and you are literally the first to have expressed any confusion about it despite dozens of people who are in the very business of reviewing stories having put it through the ringer. I'm happy to leave it as is.

Just because numerous people read something doesn't mean that errors don't exist. Icewindale Saga is a perfect example. In hundreds of pages there are exactly two spelling errors (actual ones, as in the words are mispelled). My copy's in storage, but I know there are tons of books out there that have the occassional rare errors.

The point being, those books had editors, and tons of people comb through it before publishing, and it still happens. Then you have the fact that either nooes pointed it out, nor cares to do so. So saying that you have tons of readers / editors going over somehing doesn't mean perfection. Since even in professionally published works you occassionally get errors, or stuff noone really cared to point out.

Anyways. That's off my chest, have a good rest of your evening, and I appologise for anything that might have came across as hostility.